Monday, June 2, 2014

Just 1% of Google's Tech Workers Are Black -- But Whose Fault Is This?

High technology has totally changed the way we work and live. Technology is everywhere and in everything. Although it's all around us, if you look closely, you'll see that something is missing: minorities and women. Among minorities, Blacks are blatantly absent in the technology industry. How the numbers stack up -- or don't stack up

Although technology companies are reluctant to talk specifically about the cultural makeup of their workforce (they usually just state that they are diverse), Google recently released some surprising statistics about what percent of minorities actually comprise their workforce. Take a look at this:

Male - 83 percent

Asians - 34 percent

Hispanic - 2 percent

Blacks - 1 percent

Possible reasons for the disparity

What makes these numbers so baffling is that they are not consistent with the population mix in California, where Google is headquartered. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the population in California is 38 percent Hispanic, far greater than Asians who make up 14 percent of the state's population. Yet, only 2 percent Hispanics compared to 34 percent Asians work at Google. What's the deal?

What the experts say

Experts, including college professors and others who study cultures within the high tech industry, believe that historically underrepresented minorities that include women and Blacks are often some of the last to have access to education and training that leads to high tech jobs. Better schools with more money will more likely have computer training earlier in the classroom, exposing students to high tech, which is often not the case with many minorities attending schools in disadvantaged regions.

Some experts are recommending that parents will need to take a more active role in their children's education and expose them to every opportunity to increase their knowledge of computer science and technology. Taking advantage of tech camps, computer science workshops and other technology-focused activities may be a very important step to make sure that minorities gain a more competitive edge and greater access to jobs at tech firms.